# Let's talk seriously about Bristol Palin.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-seriously-about-bristol-palin/461993>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [September 4, 2008, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-seriously-about-bristol-palin/461993 "2008-09-04T15:03:18Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 7

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**Author:** ![Algorithm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/algorithm/32/12204_2.png) [@Algorithm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algorithm)\
**Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-seriously-about-bristol-palin/461993/121 "2008-09-08T19:33:27Z")

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> [@jtgain](#):
>
> I’m not judging her for that, but to blame her mother because she didn’t use a condom, or go to the clinic to get on a birth control script is laughable. She had both of those means at her disposal and chose not to utilize them.

I wouldn’t jump to the conclusion that Bristol’s pregnancy is her mother’s fault, but I certainly wouldn’t rule out the possibility that her mother’s teachings had an effect on her choices when it came to sex. I had a cousin that got pregnant at the age of 17 because her boyfriend (now husband) didn’t believe in the use of condoms. He knew what they were, how they worked, had the means and knowledge of how to acquire them, he just didn’t believe in using them because he was raised Catholic.

It’s anecdotal, sure, but the lesson is, knowledge of birth control methods isn’t always enough to get a kid (or even a young adult) to use them. A parent can endorse their use while not endorsing promiscuity, and it can go a long way on influencing the choices their child makes.

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